400 deaths: Israel’s corona fatalities mount

Israel’s coronavirus death toll continues to rise as the government grapples with the extent to which it is willing to shut down the economy.

By Associated Press and World Israel News Staff

As of Saturday evening, Israel had suffered 400 deaths related to the coronavirus, with the total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic on its way to 50,000.

On Friday, Israel announced sweeping new restrictions in response to a new surge in coronavirus cases, including weekend closures of many businesses and limiting restaurants to takeout and delivery.

The government announced the restrictions after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “interim steps” were needed to avoid another general lockdown.

Gyms and exercise studios will be closed except for use by competitive athletes and beaches will be closed on weekends, beginning later this month. The Israeli weekend is Friday and Saturday.

Restaurants were initially ordered to halt seated dining by Friday evening, but the government later backtracked in the face of an uproar by owners who said they had already purchased fresh ingredients for the weekend rush and would suffer major financial losses if they had to throw them out.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, the government said restaurants would have until early Tuesday to switch to takeout and delivery only.

Stores, malls, barber shops, beauty salons and tourist sites will be closed on weekends, starting Friday. Public gatherings will be limited to 10 people indoors or 20 outside. The Cabinet approved the new measures, pending approval by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, but said they would take effect Friday evening with violation considered a criminal offense.

Israel had largely contained its outbreak by late May following a two-month lockdown, cases have soared in the weeks since restrictions were lifted, with Israel reporting around 1,900 new cases on Thursday alone.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, coronavirus cases are also rising again in Iran, which has seen the worst outbreak in the region, with nearly 270,000 confirmed cases and at least 13,791 deaths.